


Sherstrade ficlet: Big Greg

by Readingfanfics



Series: Practice Stories [64]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Greg is chubby, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Sherlock is 'cool', his friends are not good, practice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 19:10:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12439722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Readingfanfics/pseuds/Readingfanfics
Summary: “Sorry. I didn't think you'd-”“I take this seriously Lestrade.”“No. That's not-” Greg sighed and Sherlock waited, folding his arms as Greg looked at him, fidgeting with his pen. “I didn't think you'd show up and want to work with me.”





	Sherstrade ficlet: Big Greg

**Author's Note:**

> I blame Glee season 6 for this. I was just thinking about a chubby Greg and how that would be, how Sherlock would be, what could happen and I wrote this ficlet. It's not perfectly worked out but I had fun writing it.

“Can I sit with you?”

 

Seeing the confusion, followed by suspicion in those brown eyes was logical but it still struck a cord in Sherlock's heart. He knew he didn't have the best reputation and there was an 80% chance Greg Lestrade would just get up and leave. There was a 55% chance he'd get punched in the face.

 

He stood still as Greg looked at him carefully before looking left and right of Sherlock. It also was a logical reaction, most days Sherlock wasn't alone, flanked by John, Sebastian, and James. Realising Sherlock was alone didn't make Greg relax and Sherlock cringed, it had taken too long for him to realize his friends were bastards and that they would always be associated with him.

 

“O-okay.”

 

Sherlock released a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding as Greg turned back to his work. It seemed the man had started their assignment without him, watching Greg as he wrote something down in a notebook. The table Greg was sitting at was filled with documents and printed out news articles and Sherlock felt a ping of sympathy for the man. It was clear Greg was taking this assignment seriously and he mentally cursed himself for ever believing John.

 

“ _He's only here because his dad threw money at it. Keeping up the family name you know.”_

 

Greg ordered some papers, making room for Sherlock to place his laptop and he let out another breath as he sat down opposite Greg. The man was focused on his work, reading over the details of their case, taking a few notes from time to time. It was a thing Sherlock liked about Greg, the fact that he still used pen and paper, even when the large majority of the students used a laptop.

 

“I found some articles on similar cases where those types of weapons were used. Could be helpful to our own case.”

 

Greg looked up, his brown eyes taking Sherlock in carefully and it took Sherlock a second to act normal. Something about Greg Lestrade threw him off his game, making it difficult to stay focused. He turned his laptop around, showing Greg his articles and the notes he'd jotted down. Unlike Greg, he didn't have neat handwriting and he used his laptop for almost everything.

 

“Those look useable. Have you gone over the files?”

 

“Of course I have.”

 

Greg looked away for a second, biting his lip and Sherlock turned his laptop back around, irritated with Greg'squestion and how he'd responded to it. Just because his friends didn't take anything seriously, didn't mean he did. Still, Sherlock could understand Greg's assumptions about him. He'd always been a fast learning, not needing to do much work to grasps the basic understandings of ideas and theories. School for him was normally borning, waltzing through classes and courses like it was nothing. The start of his university career had been different. The courses were actually interesting, pushing his mind and abilities. He'd always been fast wit picking up details and it came in handy for things like this.

 

“Sorry. I didn't think you'd-”

 

“I take this seriously Lestrade.”

 

“No. That's not-” Greg sighed and Sherlock waited, folding his arms as Greg looked at him, fidgeting with his pen. “I didn't think you'd show up and want to work with me.”

 

Sherlock's heart clenched and he opened and closed his mouth. It had been in Professor Hooper's class that Greg Lestrade had caught his eye. The man was hard to ignore, about 1,80 meters long and about 17 stone and 4 pounds. Greg took up space just by being in a room and yet it had taken Sherlock a few weeks to even take a second look at him. His second look hadn't been any better than his first look, John poking his elbow in his ribs to grab Sherlock's attention.

 

“Lestrade's gotten fatter over time.” John had whispered, an evil smile on his face and Sherlock had tensed up. That smile never promised anything good.

 

“Fat arse can't even run a mile. What is he even doing here?”

 

“Preserving the stereotype of future policemen?” Sebastian cut in, his attention half fixed on his phone. “You know, eating donuts, drinking coffee.”

 

John had bursted out laughing and Professor Hooper had given them a deadly look. Sherlock had wanted to crawl in the ground. He liked this class and Professor Hooper, he didn't want to be seen as a bad influence. At least not more than he already was. His eyes had met Lestrade's and it had knocked the breath out of him. As if the man knew exactly what they'd been talking about, silently judging Sherlock.

 

He'd wanted to talk to the man after that but didn't know how to approach it. His friends were bastards and Sherlock couldn't even explain to himself why Greg fascinated him. John and Sebastian were sure Greg was an idiot, only able to study Criminology because of his father's money but Sherlock wasn't so sure. The more he paid attention to him, the more it became obvious that Greg Lestrade wasn't stupid at all.

 

The chance to talk to Greg came when Professor Hooper threw them together for this assignment, trying to solve a fictional murder case. He'd seen the shock and dread in Greg's eyes when Professor Hooper had assigned them together and Sherlock had vowed to do better. To make Greg understand he was nothing like his friends. He still couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when he'd become part of their group, but deep down it was something Sherlock wasn't proud of.

 

“Why would you think that? That I wouldn't want to work with you?”

 

Greg threw Sherlock an 'are you kidding' look but he didn't back down, leaning forward as Greg looked back at his work.

 

“You're not stupid Greg.”

 

That made Greg look up, dropping his pen and leaning back in his chair, crossing his massive arms over each other. Sherlock wanted to squeeze his biceps, find out if they were as muscular as he thought and he blinked his eyes, focusing his attention back to the conversation.

 

“I mean, I know I haven't been- Me and my friends are-”

 

Greg's eyes narrowed and Sherlock swallowed, forcing himself to keep eye contact. The silence went on for several moments, Sherlock struggling not to fidget in his seat as Greg just watched him.

 

“They're bastards okay. Maybe I am too for letting them call you names. I.” Sherlock stopped, biting his lip before letting out a breath and continuing. “ I don't know why I stayed friends with them so long. Convenience I guess. I've never been very popular and they-”

 

Sherlock shrugged a shoulder, his cheeks getting warm as he heard how lame his excuses sounded. HE'd never been able to make many friends, being socially awkward and too honest. People didn't like his ability to read them, to know what they'd done the night before and with who. He'd met John when he was 14, having just transferred to yet another school and John had been amused with his deductions. That was the first time someone called him amazing instead of punching him in the face and Sherlock had latched onto it. Wanting to be John's friends desperately.

 

“I know that's not a good excuse. I just-”

 

“Wanted to fit in?”

 

Sherlock nodded his head, seeing the grim line of Greg's mouth and he wondered if Greg was going to punch him after all. Those biceps looked like they had a lot of muscle.

 

“John accepted me for who I was. Brutal honesty and weird quirks included and I wanted to believe I'd found a friend. I guess friendship can make you blind too.”

 

Sherlock looked down at his laptop, the words blurring together as his mind went over the last 7 years of his life. John had taken Sherlock under his wing, introducing him to Sebastian and James. They both seemed to like him, encouraging him to use his skills and deduce people in class or at parties. It took him a few days to learn that his friends used his deductions to insult people, even intimidate them to do their homework for them. Why he didn't keep his distance after figuring that out, Sherlock didn't know and soon he was part of the gang. A terror to other students and most teachers.

 

“My skills were a great way to scare people off. Nobody dared to questions us cause I'm good at figuring out people's secrets. People always have something to hide, something they aren't proud of. My friends, we used that to our advantage. I'm not proud of it.”

 

“What changed?”

 

Sherlock looked up, Greg's arms were now uncrossed, elbows planted on the table as he took Sherlock in closely.

 

“Sorry?”

 

“What changed? Why are you here sitting with me, telling me this?”

 

“I. I don't know.”

 

“The genius Sherlock Holmes doesn't know?”

 

There was a smile on Greg's lips and Sherlock huffed, looking down at his laptop, his face feeling warm as the silence went on. Greg was the only person to do that, make Sherlock flustered and unsure.

 

“I just. I want to change. Can't that be reason enough?”

 

The soft smile Greg threw his way made Sherlock's stomach do a flip.

 

“How did they take it? You wanting to change.”

 

“Could have been worse.”

 

Greg raised an eyebrow and Sherlock rolled his eyes.

 

“They got in a few punches, I got in some wicked insults and that's that. Can we now focus on the assignment?”

 

Sherlock gestured to Greg's stack of paper, taking the top sheet and going over it but he felt Greg's eyes on him the whole time.

 

“What?” He snapped, putting down the paper as Greg shook his head.

 

“You have some strange friends Holmes.”

 

“They're not my friends, not anymore.”

 

“Good.”

 

Greg's smile was dazzling and Sherlock couldn't do anything else but return it. Seeing the approval in Greg's eyes made him warm inside and soon they got back to work. Trying to change was never easy but watching Greg sit in front of him, relaxed and happy, was worth it.

 


End file.
